D&D General why do we have halflings and gnomes?

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Therefore, those toxic gases and smokes are not an issue, they can be ventilated.

Also, Dwarves have Dwarven Resilience, which would help them endure toxic gases and smokes more than the average human would. I'm sure they would invent things to make them more bearable, but they would also have a much higher tolerance level than human miners.

 

[Minigiant]

Also, Dwarves have Dwarven Resilience, which would help them endure toxic gases and smokes more than the average human would. I'm sure they would invent things to make them more bearable, but they would also have a much higher tolerance level than human miners.

I've always imagined Dwarven kingdoms having few permanent immigrants due to the constant accidental poisonings. Basically only the poison resistant or high CON would be able to live in high dwarven majority lands.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I've always imagined Dwarven kingdoms having few permemnet immigrants due to the constant accidental poisonings. Basically only the poison resistant or high CON would be able to live in high dwarven majority lands.

Also the darkvision, so they don't light up their homes as much as others (I just always have them use dim light).

These were my reasonings for my players asking why Sundabar and Mirabar had a dwarven portion underground in the mines, but humans above. It's just a matter of physiology. Dwarves are the species that is better acclimated to the underground mining/smithing lifestyle.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I brought up "The Art of not being Governed" earlier. It goes into this a great deal in the case of South East Asia. Basically, a big part of having a state is taxation. Taxation means that crops needs to be able to be stored after being grown. This creates an incentive to require villagers in the state to grow a single food source that is easily stored and easily counted for tax purposes (such as grains like rice or wheat).

One of the benefits of living outside the state (which was basically about three days march by road from any major settlement - and considerably less if the ground was difficult to traverse such as mountains, forests, swamps etc) is that you don't have such constraints and can often have a healthier diet (Eg. grow sweet potatoes instead of rice).

So you'd put your halfling villages somewhere within the relative boundaries of a larger state, but in a place where the states projection of force doesn't reach very often.

Of course this could create the issue that such areas are also stereoptypically where the monsters live - but there's absolutely no reasons why this is required to be the case in all instances of marginal land. (Maybe the state was stronger 150 years back and made an organised effort to occupy the hills and wipe out all the monsters)

Or maybe the halflings made the land safe themselves.

 

[Minigiant]

Also the darkvision, so they don't light up their homes as much as others (I just always have them use dim light).

These were my reasonings for my players asking why Sundabar and Mirabar had a dwarven portion underground in the mines, but humans above. It's just a matter of physiology. Dwarves are the species that is better acclimated to the underground mining/smithing lifestyle.

ASI: Dwarves don't put as much effort in comfort as they don't feel it as much
Size: LOW CEILINGS! Humans all have bumps on head.
Speed: Buildings not far apart
Darkvision: Homes, hallways, and private places not well lit
Resilience: Less importance on fresh food, water,and air

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

ASI: Dwarves don't put as much effort in comfort as they don't feel it as much
Size: LOW CEILINGS! Humans all have bumps on head.
Speed: Buildings not far apart
Darkvision: Homes, hallways, and private places not well lit
Resilience: Less importance on fresh food, water,and air

Yep, those are all good reasons, too. I also have dwarves almost always just speak Dwarvish in their clans. Outsiders would be like monolingual Americans in a country that primarily speaks a foreign language.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Ah, so they are.

My apologies @Sabathius42 , I didn't realize that you just jumped into the middle of the conversation.

If it makes you feel better, I was only positive I didn't say one of those quotes.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Because dwarves can be explained within dwarven logic.

You said the lava is dangerous for an enclosed city, same with coal smoke, very deadly. But Dwarves are master stonesmiths, known for carving out entire mountains. Just to do that and live inside of a mountain would require a complex ventilation system, something master builders and stone masons would be able to craft. Therefore, those toxic gases and smokes are not an issue, they can be ventilated. Dwarves own skill and lore provide a workable solution.


With halflings, the best we can come to is that they live deep inside human, dwarf or elf kingdoms, and are protected by the other races establishing political states. It works, but it is a rather ironic twist that the race most known for simple idyllic living and a lack of ambition requires the ambition of other races to survive with that lack of ambition. Explaining halflings within halflings ends up with either that, or everyone's favorite "because the gods will it"

Or my explanation, which you didn't address, which is there are plenty of safe places on the map not guarded by force because no guards are necessary in safe places.

I know your map is different, but that's a valid logical explanation.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

So. . . can we conclude this thread?

Gnomes are superior. They have magic, cute pets, creative defenses, fun inventions, and awesomely annoying accents. Rock Gnomes are awesome crafters, Deep Gnomes are grumpy miners, and Forest Gnomes are tiny illusionists that can make tiny entrances to their underground homes inside hollowed-out trees.

What do halflings have? Well, um, they're short, so they can move through larger creatures' spaces. They are also extremely brave, for some strange "reasoning", and they're lucky . . . which only "makes sense" on the Forgotten Realms/Greyhawk. Lightfoot Halflings . . . are even more stealthy than the already stealthy base race, Stout Halflings . . . are trying to be dwarves for some reason, and all the other subraces are setting-specific. (Ghostwise Halflings are cool, but their telepathy isn't given an explanation, Dragonmarked Halflings are both cool because Eberron, and Lotusden Halflings are awesome and what every PHB halfling should aspire to be). They also protect their settlements by . . . no explanation.

Gnomes have an explanation for how they protect their settlements (illusion magic, underground settlements), Humans have some (Guards and Soldiers), Elves have multiple (magic, weapons, speed, etc), Dwarves have multiple (underground/strongholds, weapons, armor), and so on.

Halflings just don't work as well as gnomes. They're not distinct enough from humans, have lore issues in non FR settings, and have basically only one stereotypical archetype (rogue), while the Gnome race has multiple (artificer, illusionist, druid/ranger, rogue). They feel like they're only here because of Tolkien and only because of Tolkien, not because they have any business being in D&D. They're a sacred cow that either needs to be dumped or changed to be more interesting and sensical.

Ruling: Halflings are inferior.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Also, Dwarves have Dwarven Resilience, which would help them endure toxic gases and smokes more than the average human would. I'm sure they would invent things to make them more bearable, but they would also have a much higher tolerance level than human miners.

Volcanic gasses kill villages of people with a literally infinitely big chimney (open sky). No amount of cunning ducts is going to vent them off.

Also they are not only poisonous, but acidic and super heated as well.

But that's STILL not a problem in my game because I don't apply real world Earth constraints to fantasy world D&D. I like the feel of dwarven cities with lava lakes...much like I like the feel of peaceful country bumpkin halflings.